Mutant Kind
by Bionic Pikachu
Summary: Throughout the nation, registered mutants are being taken to so called Mutant Training Schools. Young mutants are being imprisoned in these compounds as a government requirement. Both those seeking good and evil are enticed by these powerful young mutants, who are caught now in the crossfire of the start of a war between human and mutant kind. As always, R&R!
1. Chapter 1

This is the first of a multi-chapter fic involving "regular" mutants initially disassociated with Xavier's institute and The Brotherhood as you can see, but s_**poiler alert** _it will not always be that way. It focuses on the discrimination against and ill-treatment of mutants in America, as well as the various types of challenges everyday mutants face due to this. If you're wondering whether or not this will feature some of our mutant favorites, I can gladly tell you that I will definitely be including various familiar faces of both good and evil in future chapters. To suggest specifically who should appear, please do so in a review and I will gladly consider any suggestions brought forth.

This is only the preface, so bare with me on future plot development and addition of canon characters. The identity of the main character will also be revealed in detail in due time. As always, please read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

As a sort of addition to the Mutant Registration Act, mutants seeking a college education must spend a select amount of time in a Mutant Training School. The government had set up various locations around the country to go along with the already ever-popular Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. This wasn't an easy process, nor a pleasant one. Mutants would be evaluated by their classification every year during public schooling (private schooling usually didn't accept mutants). Depending on their abilities, age, classification, and most importantly their danger level, they would be shipped off to various sites around the country for their "Mutant Training". Xavier's school for mutants could only accept so many students, and although there was rumor of another branch of expansion, the government decided it was best for them to take over.

It's not too bad in theory, but it's even worse when you have to live it.

Shipping Day was here, finally, after a dreadfully short Summer. Shipping Day was the day in which mutants from all over the country would be sent off to their "Mutant Training Schools". Only the lucky ones actually got to go to school.

Xavier's institute sounded like sweet heaven to us as we quietly chattered about, sitting in our armored bus. We'd heard the rumors of the places we'd be sent to, and none of them were good. Siblings and friends huddled together at the windows, watching their hometown go by, along with their family, friends, and homes. Although we each had average time frames for how long we'd be away, we feared for the worst: that we wouldn't be able to come home again, at least for a very long while.

Most of us were here because we were going to be heading off to college soon-or we would have liked to. And it wouldn't have been too different if we'd moved away, at least, that's what the officials tried to tell us. We knew it wouldn't be, though. There, living in dorms we would have freedom and the choice to come home. But here, or at least, where we were headed, we knew it would be like a prison.

* * *

My best friend lay rested against my shoulder, and I lay against the cold window. She'd been lucky enough to find comfort in sleep, but although I'd tried hard, I got nothing of the sort. Silently, I stared out the window at the passing shrubs and rocks of the California desert. We'd had most of our items confiscated from us before we had boarded the bus, so we had no real sense of time except for the sun in the sky outside of the window. Judging by that, it was probably four. They'd all set out before noon, the guards and officials manning the operation allowed us to say our goodbyes to family and friends. It wasn't enough though, but we tried to be strong. I turned my head and looked down at my friend. She'd been lightly clutching one of my arms and tried to make her tight seating situation as comfortable as possible. At least we weren't alone in this. This was the first year this requirement was set into action, so anyone who fit the broad spectrum of characteristics to fill their uncomfortable bus seats, they chose. She was a year older than I, and she tried her hardest to get accepted to her dream college-she did, by the way. The new MRA addition kept her from actually attending. I, on the other hand, was getting ready to apply. I had schools set up and my test scores sent, but during the last school year my once-latent mutant abilities began to show forth. Neither she, nor I would technically be considered very dangerous. She could absorb light, and manipulate it and it's counterpart: darkness. Nothing that could cause any real harm, unless you happen to be an epileptic or have a strong fear of the dark. My abilities weren't even noticed until I was nearly hit with an out-of-control football whilst walking the track during P.E.. I was focused on my conversation, so I didn't notice until I heard the distant shout of the school's obnoxious sport-o-holics. I looked up and raised my arms in defense, ducking to the side to try to avoid the incoming assault. I heard a _thwunk_ and the ball was bounced back towards the field. When I opened my eyes all who had seen stared at me. As confused as I was, I didn't know why. That was when my friend who I'd been talking to reached out with a cautious hand and it rested against an almost invisible force.

To cut that story short-I can create energy force fields, creating a firm barrier around my self in default, but also can extend it further towards objects. That last discover resulted in me being escorted to the principal's office by the on-campus cop. I'd been stuck behind a crowd of ridiculously slow and rowdy bunch of teenage boys. A couple of their friends pushed past me to join them, and I reacted without realizing. I sent two into the lockers behind them, two more into a pair of giggling girls, and another had toppled over a trash can. Needless to say, I caused a disruption because of my lack of control over my new found abilities, and I was sent to be re-evaluated by Mutant Control.

That second incident was what really landed me here. But at least my best friend didn't have to go it alone.

In the distance, I could see what looked to be a large community of buildings in the desert surrounded by fences. That _must _be where we were headed. I turned and gently shook my sleepy mutant friend's arm, whispering her name excitedly. "Mari! Mari, we're here! Look!" She awoke quickly, grumbling, and rubbed her eyes before blinking, and looking out into the distance, her eyes following where my extended finger pointed.

The noise in the bus got louder as the mutants stirred. The armed guard sitting at the front of the bus noticed and kept a silent eye on everyone.

"Is that it?" Mari asked me, straightening up, suddenly more awake. She unlinked her arm from mine to stretch a little and adjust her position.

"It has to be. Where else would we go?"

In the distance we could see the armored buses ahead of us turn down a dirt road, heading closer and closer to the compound in the distance. Our bus soon turned onto the same dirt road, causing the patrons of the bus to shake and sway at the sudden change from smooth highway to bumpy road.

"I'm nervous. What is it going to be like?"

"I don't know," I told her quietly, genuinely, "I'm scared too."

* * *

We were all ordered off the bus and watched carefully by the abundance of armed guards waiting there. One of the men waiting for us wasn't armed that I could tell, and he looked important in his fancy grey suit. He suddenly began barking orders at us and his men.

"This facility is for Delta, Beta, and Alpha mutants. You have each been marked by a colored stamp on your hand prior to your arrival, and that stamp will serve to distinguish groups. Yellow stamps, you are Delta. All Delta mutants will be lead to the west wing. Red stamps, you are Beta. All Beta mutants will be lead to the east wing. Blue stamps, you are Alpha. All mutants will be lead to the north wing. You will comply without defiance and proceed to your intended location single-file. Any defiance will not go unpunished."

Already, this place was like prison. Thankfully we weren't being handcuffed, but the lines of armed guards with their big guns and steely gazes were enough to make one feel like a prisoner.

"Break off into groups now! Any questions will be answered once all mutants have been sorted."

Like that, we were all being ushered around by the guards and others, the stamps on our hands being our only source of guides. One of the armed guards yelled, "Delta, Yellow!" Taking the hint, all mutants in that classification, including myself and Mari, moved toward the guard. We were then lead across the grounds to a large secure looking building. It was plain and grey. On the windows were bars, and on the corners of the building were various security cameras.

In a whisper, I turned behind me and told Mari, "All we need is a ball and chain now and we're all set for prison duty." She gave me a faint attempt at a smile, but we both knew there wouldn't be much to smile about today.


	2. Chapter 2

_**MUTANT**_

_Chelsea E. Caldwell - Delta _

_07/12/1997 Energy_

_Danger Level - Moderate_

My picture on the laminated plastic stared back at me. In the picture I wasn't smiling, but who did in these pictures? They were giving us all new IDs. It resembled a school ID, like the one I used to carry in my wallet, but this one was more detailed, and described our mutant classifications and various other warnings or cautions. It also assigned us where we would be staying-well, that's what I assumed.

Thankfully, I was right. And thankfully yet again, our rooming situation didn't suck too bad. There were various rooms for the girls, and each room had between four and six beds. We were assigned a bunk and, as it went by alphabetical order, my best friend and I were only a few beds away. Briggs wasn't very far from Caldwell.

Because it had been getting late when we'd gotten here, or at least semi-dark, the woman in charge of leading us told us we could have time to rest and get settled in before dinner time-I think her name was Miss Castle? or Miss Castin? Something of that sort. She had coarse blonde hair that was starting to turn grey in places, but her facial features were as sharp as ever. Only the few greying hairs and the slight crinkle around her fierce eyes could give away her age. She looked mean, and I duly noted that I wouldn't want to annoy her. Our bunk room contained six beds. One bunk set on each wall except the one with the door. There was a small window on the outer wall, but the outside was barred off. The interior of the room was plain, and our bed sets were a soft blue, they were stiff to the touch, but that was probably because no one had slept in them yet. I hoped they weren't itchy.

"I miss my bed." One of the girls chimed in miserably as she sat down on her bunk, the springs of the mattress creaking slightly under her-albeit minimal-weight.

"I do too-and I miss Teddy Bear and Renji!" Mari whined from ontop of her bunk. Those were her two cats, a muscular grey crybaby and an orange fat cat with large eyes. They were her babies.

"But we have to stay here. It's required." I say.

"Why can't they just accept us? We're no harm to anyone. Why should we be denied of an education until we finish this stupid _mutant training_," Marilyn said the last words as if they left a bad taste in her mouth. "All I wanted to do was get my degree and become a veterinarian! I didn't ask for this!"

Something had sparked the beast inside of her cute little body. Maybe it was the stiff sheets and creaky beds. Maybe it was the glares we'd received when walking past the guards.

"But some of them are dangerous!" A girl from across the room chimed in, closing the door of the small bedside table with her leg.

"Not us! I know some of them are out there who hurt people, but regular people do just as many bad things!" Mari retorted.

"We're not the monsters here, they are!" Said the girl. She had dark skin and short curly hair, she was very skinny, almost more than I was. And that's saying something.

Things were getting a bit heated, even though the two mutants were on the same side of the argument. So I took my chance to step in. I put my hands up, as if surrendering, and tried to soften the mood a little. "We're only here to show that we're not the monsters, right? We act civil and we show they've got nothing to fear. Then we'll get out of here sooner than they expect, right?" I suggest, trying to be optimistic. Mari folded her arms and stared down at the floor. I moved across the room to sit next to her, and I put an arm around her shoulders. "We're in this together, aren't we? We can do this. It can't be that bad, right? This country has made enough stupid mistakes to make this bad." I told her. She leaned her head on my shoulder, and I pet her hair softly.

"You're right. I just hope they really learned from their past mistakes."

While some Church of Humanity members screamed for the eradication of all filthy, unholy mutants, some protesters believed Mutants were people, too, and they had rights. At least someone was smart enough to see the truth. Unfortunately, no one took those people seriously enough. Now, in the height of anti-mutant stigma, this supposed _Mutant Training School_ seemed like prison.

* * *

A screech rang out over the intercom and signalled for dinner time. All mutants were to report to their dining areas in their buildings single file for dinner. That didn't sound so bad. In fact, the growling in my stomach was made worse by the aroma of whatever was freshly prepared as we entered the lunch room. We discovered it was soup. Tomato or chicken noodle. Hey, at least it couldn't be too bad. The meal came with bread and a water bottle. I didn't know what I was expecting but this at least seemed halfway decent. Although the blandness of the meal reminded me of a cross between military ration and prison food, I was hungry enough for it not to matter too much.

I sat down at a semi-empty table with Marilyn, staring down into my bowl of soup. It didn't look bad or smell bad, so it probably couldn't taste all that bad either. I lifted the plastic spoon full of oily broth to my mouth and slurped up the steaming food. It was hot, but tasted fine. As relief washed over me, I continued eating, nodding over to my friend that at least from what I could tell, it was safe and edible.

The dinner conversations seemed to turn more optimistic with food in our bellies. We wondered what they would have us do in the following morning-whether it would be a school-like class or some sort of physical fitness. Maybe they would make us demonstrate our abilities.

"They'll probably make us watch that cheesy PSA about Mutants that they showed on TV and in schools. The one with the ridiculously perfect family and their pyromaniac mutant son who set the houseplant on fire." I said as I uncapped my water bottle.

"I hated that one. _You can help prevent mutant danger._" She mimicked in a voice that oddly resembled Smokey the Bear.

I laughed and sipped on my water. It was amazing how halfway decent food could make one's mood skyrocket from miserable to hopeful in less than an hour. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe.

* * *

Suddenly I began to feel very groggy on our way back to the bunk rooms. I must have yawned five times during our walk. I didn't know what it was, but tiredness had hit me like a wave. I noticed I wasn't the only one. Mari had yawned once or twice-but maybe that was just because I did. And I'd heard some girl behind me complain about being sleepy, but not wanting to sleep on the creaky beds. I personally didn't mind. My bed at home was creaky and old but it was comfortable and I even enjoyed it. However I would have preferred maybe a memory foam mattress cover or 300 thread count cotton sheets. I knew I wouldn't be so lucky though.

Lights off was announced to be in an hour and a half. Making our supposed bedtime at 8:30pm. Very early by teenage standards, but I was tired and figured tomorrow would be a busy day. None of us were sure what we would have to do-whether it would be actual schooling or physical fitness, most of us weren't looking forward to either.

About halfway through putting on my pajamas, one of the girls in my room screamed. I couldn't make out who exactly, but the shrill sound was enough to make one cringe. I turned, looking around, confused and annoyed. One of the other girls-her name was Alyssa, I think-was covering her chest with her arms and had her back turned, but she peered over her shoulder and did her best to point without revealing herself.

"There are cameras watching us!"

The other five girls in the room, including myself, changed moods suddenly. My eyes quickly found the small dark sphere in the corner of the far wall with a red dot on it.

"That's disgusting!"

"Those perverts!"

A collection of muttering and complaining erupted in the room.

Marilyn, dressed in a red camisole and a pair of sweatpants, moved to the center of the room facing the camera. "Do you think they'll mind if I black it out?"

"What do you mean?" Said the dark skinned girl from earlier today-her name was Candice.

Raising her hands high towards the camera, she focused on the red dot. At first, nothing happened, but as her hands started to roll into circles in the air, a transparent wave of shadows crawled up the walls. I heard a few gasps, and stood amazed and proud. The shadows blended together, getting darker and thicker, swirling over the camera. "I think that works...They just see darkness." Her lips twitched upward in a proud smile. Moving one hand down, she kept the other pointed towards the mass of dark. She relaxed her stance, but kept moving her fingers around, swirling the shadows into a whirlpool over the camera, the red light could hardly be seen.

"Damn, girl. How'd you do that?" Said Candice, quickly stripping her pants, jumping out of her skinny jeans and then pulling on a pair of small fuzzy pink shorts.

"I think I took the shadows from around the room," She said, unsure. She didn't know much about how she could do what she did, except for the fact that she was a mutant. Mutant science was always weird-even weirder than regular science.

"I don't care why, I'm just glad you know how." I said, smiling.

Soon the other females were changed-it only took a minute or two, and Mari wasn't sure how long she should keep up the shadow-shield. As the darkness started to falter and dissipate, there was a loud _BANG_ from the door and then it suddenly opened, causing me to nearly jump right out of my skin. A few of the girls shrieked. One of the armed guards studied the room carefully, his hand hovering over his weapon of choice-some sort of gun. His face was stern, but it looked like he was expecting some sort of trouble. We stared back at him with wide eyes. The darkness had fled from the corner and scattered itself about the room even faster now due to the intruder, and Mari was spun around in fear, her hands up in a weak surrender.

"There were cameras." I said to him, the guard.

"How were we supposed to change?" Said Candice.

The guard let his hand rest on his weapon and narrowed his eyes. "Don't do that." He reached up and pressed a button on his earpiece before turning and exiting, speaking to someone on the other line. I could barely make out what was said: "It's all clear-muties just wanted privacy…."

When the door was closed I scowled at the door where he'd been before. _Muties_. The word on it's own didn't sound like much if you knew nothing of human-mutant relations, but it was becoming one of the more popular anti-mutant slurs. Just like _freaks,_ it was something humans said to try to demean mutants.

"_Muties,_" I said as if the word left a disgusting taste in my mouth. I scoffed and turned around, back towards the door and spat out: "_Humans_." in the same disgusted tone.

"How dare he," Someone muttered behind me.

"I didn't mean to get us in trouble," Mari said quietly, from next to me, with a guilty look on her face. I was thrust out of my spite and put my hands on her shoulders lightly, my scowl turning into a grin of pride.

"You did great! Screw them, we deserve privacy too! What are they gonna do, beat us or something?"

"Maybe. Did you see his gun?"

"I'll protect you, don't you worry. I vow I will not let any one of them hurt you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! I'm happy with the traffic this fic has been getting. I would hope to get some reviews to know what people do and don't like. As I mentioned previously, if any of my readers would like a cameo, they can simply request to do so in a review. Since there are plenty of mutants to be created and mentioned, there's plenty of room for OC mutants! As always, read and review.**

Sleep overcame us quicker than I think any of us had expected. I don't know what it was, but once we had dinner, we had all begun to get very very sleepy. So as soon as our heads hit the pillows, we were practically out like lights. My sleep was deep, heavy, and I hardly dreamt: what little dreams I had were hazy, confusing, and filled with the images of the armed guards that were posted in the halls. In the dreams I felt small, caged, and simply uncomfortable. You could call it a nightmare. Thankfully, though, I didn't wake up screaming or anything-just tired and grouchy. We were awoken by another sort of alarm-a screech, like the one from last night. I jolted awake and hugged my pillow closer to my face, not wanting to fully wake up and take in the reality of where I was. Unfortunately, I couldn't fall back into my almost-nightmare. I just lay there in the stiff bed, as my surroundings bubbled forth. I felt the blankets entwined around my feet, and there was a strand of hair in my face that started to tickle. Opening my eyes, I brushed the strand away and sat up in bed.

From across the room I heard Mari groan in annoyance. She curled up in bed and mumbled something about not wanting to get up. I scooted to the edge of my bunk and rested my face in my hands.

The more awake I became, the more I began to feel waves of anxiety wash over me. What would today consist of? This is the first official day at Mutant Training-so what would we have to do? Would those guards usher us around like prisoners all day? Would we be forced into physical exams and experiments? Would we be subject to manual or mental labor? I want to go home, I thought to myself as I squeeze my eyes shit, I don't want to do this. I opened my eyes and inhaled a long, deep breath. Looking around the room, I saw the other girls stir uncomfortably and I could hear the creak of the bed above me as Deanna-the girl who's bunk was above mine-awoke.

Slowly, I stood, stretching my limbs in an attempt to ward off some of the panicking sensations that had begun to wrack my body. It didn't work. Unsure of what time it was, I searched the room with my eyes-the walls too-only to find that no such clock existed here.

"What's wrong?" I heard Marilyn ask as she sat up in bed, throwing her blankets off of her. I guess my face must've given off my confusion and annoyance.

"There's no clock in here."

"What?" She looked around and didn't find one either. "That's weird. It's morning, though...I wonder how early."

"Too early." One of the other girls muttered.

* * *

I began to dress myself, back towards the security camera that was perched in the far corner of the room on the cieling. I dressed myself in my favorite jeans-a pair which had gained a large rip on the left knee, simply because of natural wear-and-tear-and a black t-shirt. I brushed through my knotted hair as the other girls continued their routine, grumbling about their lack of privacy and sleep.

There was a line at the communal bathrooms at the end of our hall, but could you expect anything else from teenage girls? Some showered, some did their business, and some just brushed their teeth. I balked at the ones who put on make-up-who were they trying to impress? The guards who pretty much hated our guts? Or maybe they hoped to find a sexy mutant boyfriend here. Who knows-I certainly didn't.

After the first hour and a half of morning essentials, another alarm rang out. We were all told to go to breakfast. That sounded good-and the prospect of food in my belly eased my anxiety.

We were given the option of a small variety of food stuffs to choose from. Cereal with a carton of milk and some bread or fruit, or something that resembled oat meal. I went for the first option, and so did a majority of those who first got there because it ran out fast, leaving everyone else with the oat-mush.

I learned from the strangers-and Mari-at my table that I wasn't the only one who slept like a log last night. Most everyone seemed to have gotten just as groggy after dinner. There were whispers about the table, then. "Do you think they drugged us?" I heard, and that was enough for me to eye the food I was eating suspiciously. Then logic kicked in-why would they drug us in the mornings when we had things to do? At night it made some sense, at least. I continued eating my Cheerio-knock-offs with caution, but much hunger. Mari would have preferred pancakes and coffee, as she continuously complained. I agreed with her. That sounded much better than this.

"Ugh, and my mom just bought a package of Godiva chocolate coffee, too..." Her speech was interrupted by a sip of juice. "I would kill for some of that."

"_Woah, now_! You don't wanna' spook the big guys-they might _punish _you." I said with mock fear.

She shot me a glare and a smile.

Meal time was always the calmest time-even though we seemed to all be conspiring and complaining about the guards and government that decided to put us here. Another way of passing the time was secretly showing off our abilities whilst trying not to get caught by the guards patrolling by the tables. Marilyn was seen as a wonderful mystic when she showed her gift. She'd hidden the contents of my cereal bowl with a layer of shadow. She then demonstrated another feat by swirling her hand over the table top, making little shadows swirl and dance around her fingers. She was gaining popularity fast, and every time people awe-d and ooh-d at her little show the proud smile on her face grew more.

Now it was my turn, and I smiled modestly. I set up a mini demonstration using the plastic silverware and milk cartons and spoke: "It's not as cool as the shadow queen over here-" Mari giggled, "But it's something."

I put my hand out in front of me and with the other, gestured towards the sporks on the table. "Throw one at me."

The boy with the acne and messy brown hair sitting across from us was more than happy to oblige. He picked up the spork and glanced around for the guards. Mari scooted inward, shielding their activities with her torso from any onlookers who might see. The boy carefully aimed and then threw the plastic towards me. I flinched, naturally, but kept my hand still. The plastic hit a barrier, the force of impact giving everyone a glimpse at a purple-ish color that went away as soon as it came. The spork bounced back from my barrier and fell on the table.

"Force-fields? Really?" Someone asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I can even project it." I said, though was a bit unsure on my ability to do so. If I thought they would move on and not demand a second demonstration, I thought wrong.

"Can you show us?"

"Yeah, it's still your turn,"

"Okay, okay. Let me concentrate." I flexed my fingers and stretched my neck. It only now occurred to me that I was feeling much more relaxed and at ease than earlier. Oh, the glories of social contact. I chose the brown haired boy who'd thrown the spork at me to assist in my demonstration once again-only this time he was the target. I focused on him, and he laughed nervously. In my eyes, I could see the barrier that began to form in front of him. No one else noticed. I marveled momentarily at the barrier I'd created, it was pure energy, from what I could feel, and was tinted a purple-ish color. The energy surged in waves, the light in the room reflecting just so against it.

"What now?" Said the boy.

"Throw something at him." I said.

And so they did. A spork first-it hit the barrier with the same effect as the first time. Then an apple slice-the same effect. I was about to warn them I was taking the barrier down when another boy reached across the table and flicked the transparent barrier-visable energy surged from where his fingers touched it. He gasped and smiled, doing it again, and again.

"Stop, I'm taking it down. You're making it obvious," I warned, a little annoyed. As I watched the energy fade, I felt it in me-refreshing as it surged into my being invisibly. The brown haired boy laughed, but his smile quickly faded when a shadow appeared to stretch across the table behind me.

"No powers!" Shouted one of the guards. I jumped and turned around. He stared down at me with a cold glare and then let his gaze wander to the other mutants. "No. Powers." He repeated again for emphasis. I nodded quietly.

I noticed the disgust on his face when he leaned back and looked away-how rude!

"It's not like we were hurting anybody," The brown haired boy muttered in annoyance. The guard turned around.

"What did I just say?" He snapped.

"You didn't say no talking." The boy retorted with more power behind his voice. "You said no powers-which doesn't make any shitting sense because we weren't hurting anyone. It was just for fun."

I could see the anger build in the guard's face-already I could tell he didn't want to be here, but this just made things worse. I shook my head slightly, mouthing for the boy to shut up, my eyes wide.

"You listen, here, you _mutie freak_-what we say goes. And we say: _no powers_." The man snarled as he approached the boy, leaning over him and staring him down with disgust. Apparently our table wasn't the only one that noticed the commotion, because from around us things got louder.

"He called him a freak!"

"How dare he!"

"He can't do that! We don't need to be disrespected!"

He realized the commotion he'd caused and straightened, turning around to face the masses of offended mutant teenagers.

"I should be able to use my powers if I want to!"

"Yeah!"

It was like a riot was about to begin, and I felt panic rising in me. Without realizing, a barrier of energy surrounded me in a protective bubble. Mari shifted, feeling the bubble I was hiding in and glanced towards me. I brought it down and pulled her closer, encasing us both in an energy force field. I said I'd protect her, even if there wasn't any obvious danger, yet. The weak barrier would protect us if things got too out of hand, I hoped.

"Enough!" Came the sound of a female voice, the sudden loud noise making those in the room go silent. There was a collective whispering as people searched for the search of the command. At the end of the mess hall was the same blonde woman from yesterday, with a man by her side. She held a megaphone and her face was taught with stress and frustration. "Keep quiet! You are to listen to your superiors' orders for your own safety. _Please_,-" The word sounded bitter coming from her mouth. "-exit the mess hall and break off into your classes. You will meet outside at the designated areas. You will _not _cause any disruptions and you will _not _use your powers." The room was silent. "Proceed."

Our breakfast time had apparently been cut short by all of the craziness. We'd exited the mess hall and had been greeted by the harsh Californian desert sun. I could hardly see. A shade formed above my head and I looked to my right to find Mari. I smiled thankfully, but remembered the words of that angry guard and aging blonde woman. "You should probably put that away-it looks like we'll have to suffer in the sun unless we want more trouble." Mari nodded, pouting, and waved her hand. Our shade disappeared from above us and the sun beat on us with it's powerful rays once again.

* * *

We stood in sections defined by our mutant classifications. Alphas, then Betas, Deltas, then Omegas and the rest. I personally didn't know or care much about the classifications we were given-to us, we were mutants, and we were people. We didn't like being classified as anything other than that.

The blonde woman stood in front of our groups in the dirt courtyard we were standing in. She stood with the older man I'd seen before. He wore a grey suit and stood straight like he was the most important person here. Maybe he was.

He held up the megaphone when we had calmed down and began to speak. Once he began I noticed a familiarity about him. He was a politician wasn't he? I knew him, then, I realized. In the chaos of things I hadn't expected anyone with such authority to be present.

"My name is Graydon Creed."


End file.
